By Abdullahi InuwaÂ
Troops of Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have dealt another blow to terrorist networks in Zamfara State, neutralising several fighters and recovering weapons and motorcycles during an offensive operation in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area.
The troops also intercepted a suspected terrorist courier transporting 180 explosive materials, believed to be intended for terrorist elements operating across the state.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the twin operations were carried out on August 14 as troops of Sector 2 intensified intelligence-driven clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist hideouts and disrupting their logistics networks.
The ground forces first encountered the terrorists around Garin Kaso, where a fierce exchange of gunfire erupted.
At the end of the initial confrontation, two terrorists were confirmed dead, while soldiers recovered two rifles, two magazines, nine rounds of ammunition and two motorcycles from the battlefield.
The terrorists, however, were not done.
As the troops pushed deeper into the area, another group attempted to spring an ambush, using concealed positions to attack the advancing soldiers.
But the ambush quickly turned into another setback for the terrorists.
The troops fought back aggressively, breaking through the attack and inflicting additional casualties on the terrorists before forcing the surviving fighters to abandon their positions and flee into the surrounding terrain.
Although the precise number of casualties suffered by the terrorists in the second encounter could not be immediately established, sources said residents in surrounding communities later reported seeing fleeing fighters evacuating wounded colleagues and carrying away the bodies of some of those killed.
The coordinated operations have further rattled the terrorist network in the area, particularly its ability to move personnel, weapons and explosive materials freely.
The seizure of firearms, ammunition and motorcycles, alongside the interception of the explosive consignment, represents a significant disruption to the logistics chain sustaining terrorist activities in Zamfara.
Military authorities are expected to maintain pressure on the fleeing elements as troops continue clearance operations across terrorist-prone areas of the North-West.
Operation FANSAN YAMMA has in recent weeks intensified offensive and intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves, cutting off their supply routes and denying armed groups the freedom to operate across vulnerable communities.
The latest successes in Birnin Magaji underline the troops’ continued push to take the fight directly to terrorist formations and weaken their capacity to launch attacks, mobilise fighters and sustain criminal operations in Zamfara and neighbouring areas.
Source:@ZagazolaMakama
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